Some colleges and universities offer courses on pop culture. These allow students to study material from various artists, musicians and even TV shows.
In a previous report, it was noted that a course on "Hamilton" the musical is available at Northwestern University. Kendrick Lamar's music has also been used for a course at Grinnell College. Even "Pokémon GO" has been used for physical education classes at the University of Idaho and Fresno City College.
Below is a continuation of USA Today College's list of pop culture courses in various colleges and universities in the country. These include studying works by Beyoncé, Lady Gaga as well as "Game of Thrones" and "Harry Potter."
Beyoncé
"Topics in American Studies: Politicizing Beyoncé" was introduced at Rutgers University back in 2010. The course aims to think through contemporary U.S. society and its current gender, race, class and sexual politics by analyzing the works and career of Beyoncé Knowles Carter.
According to Motto, the University of Texas at San Antonio has offered a course called "Black Women, Beyoncé and Popular Culture. Professor Dr. Kinitra D. Brooks said that the course will use the artist's album, "Lemonade," as a starting point to examine sociocultural issues.
Lady Gaga
It was noted that Mathieu Deflem, professor of sociology at the University of South Carolina, got inspiration to teach "Lady Gaga and the Sociology of Fame" after he watched the Mother Monster perform on "The Tonight Show" in 2009. The course focused on the artist's rise to fame and the fascination surrounding her and her creations. Defiem will be teaching the course again in spring 2018.
"Game of Thrones"
Professor Roy Fuller at the University of Louisville taught "'Reel' Faith and Fantasy Religion: Exploring Religion in Game of Thrones." The course allows students to analyze George R.R. Martin's work and cultural influence.
"Harry Potter"
J.K. Rowling's massively popular fiction series "Harry Potter" is used as course material for a class at the University of Maryland. It is taught by Dr. Michelle Butler.
